No history here: Jeff Maggert wins U.S. Senior Open in Sacramento

SACRAMENTO — Tom Watson could have authored a bit of golf history Sunday, becoming the oldest player to win the U.S. Senior Open — seven years older than Allen Doyle (58) when he won the event in 2006.

Watson played respectably, shooting 1-under-par 69, but he didn’t zoom away from other contenders the way Jeff Maggert did. Maggert, a workmanlike player in a tournament known for rewarding steadiness, shot 65 and earned a two-stroke victory over Colin Montgomerie (66).

This makes sense in some ways, given Maggert’s plodding, unspectacular style: Hit fairways and greens and churn out pars. Then again, he opened his final round by making three consecutive birdies — and added birdies at No. 14 and No. 15 to give him the cushion he needed down the stretch.

Bernhard Langer, who played alongside Maggert and tied for third, was suitably impressed.

“He hardly ever missed anything,” Langer said. “It was fun to watch.”

Maggert’s victory also makes sense when you consider his track record in the U.S. Open, forefather of punishing USGA events. Maggert posted seven top-10 Open finishes during an 11-year stretch from 1994 through 2004.

Most notably, he finished third in 2002 at Bethpage Black in New York — behind Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and ahead of Sergio Garcia — and third again in ’04 at Shinnecock Hills, also in New York.